The University of North Carolina system has much to be thankful for from the past five years of Erskine Bowles’ leadership.
Five years ago, a rather smug UNC system announced that Bowles, a former White House chief of staff, would be its next president.
A native of the state who knew N.C. politics, Bowles’ weakness was his lack of experience in higher education.
But you would be hard-pressed to contend that now.
Under the previous UNC-system president, Molly Broad, campuses in the UNC system often presented competing voices to the legislature.
Campuses had recently been given the freedom to set their own tuition increases.
Bowles fought for predictable and manageable tuition growth, putting together the Four Year Tuition Plan in 2006.
And in 2008, when the financial crisis threatened drastic cutbacks across the UNC system, Bowles’ close relations with the state legislature appear to have protected the UNC system from the worst of the cuts.
But it hasn’t just been about finances: Bowles has had to contend with a rapid expansion in the number of students in the university system.
But most importantly, Bowles has driven a vision of how this university system is truly meeting the needs of this state through UNC Tomorrow.
It’s a vision which unites this community: UNC prides itself on being the University of the people, for the people.
So we reflect on a successful half-decade: as other members of the Board of Governors noted, Bowles has been the leader the UNC system wanted and needed.
